US protests condemn ICE killing of Renee Good and ‘a regime that is willing to kill its own citizens’ | Protest
On a rainy Saturday in Philadelphia, two separate protests, both numbering several hundred people, marched from City Hall to the federal detention center. They were slightly different in terms of solutions and crowd structure; The morning march, organized by groups behind the No Kings protests, was dominated by white older adults, while the afternoon march, planned by the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter, was led by a more racially diverse crowd clad in keffiyehs and N95 face masks. But both groups had a common goal: to get ICE out of American communities and end Donald Trump’s warmongering in Venezuela.
“All we see from Venezuela to Minneapolis is a regime struggling to maintain its power, willing to kill its own citizens, willing to kill foreign citizens,” said Deborah Rose Hinchey, co-chair of the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter.
The protests in Philadelphia were just two of more than a thousand planned for this weekend, following three ICE-related shootings — one fatal — in the week after the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Many of the events, such as the Saturday morning protest in Philadelphia, were planned as part of the ICE Out for Good weekend of action called by national organizations including Indivisible and the American Civil Liberties Union following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The Democratic Socialists of America had also planned a national day of action to stop Trump’s “illegal war” in Venezuela.
“They’re killing legal observers. They’re blatantly exposing the fact that they’re invading countries for oil. This is not radical. This is murder and illegal war crimes,” Pennsylvania Rep. Rick Krajewski, who represents parts of West Philadelphia, said after addressing the crowd at the afternoon protest.
Events will continue through Sunday, with actions planned in all 50 states. A large crowd marched on Saturday Boston, SanFrancisco And Portland, Oregon. snow covered Minneapolisthe crowds came in thousands ofchanting: “Fuck ICE, ICE out!” And Renee Nicole Good’s name. That morning, U.S. representatives Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig attempted to enter an ICE facility in Minneapolis and later accused the agency of unlawfully denying them entry.
Since Good’s killing, protests have emerged across the country and tensions have risen between authorities and protesters. Thursday night, Vehicles believed to be used by ICE agents He drove into a crowd of protesters in Hartford, Connecticut, and three protesters were arrested; Hartford police are investigating criminal charges related to the car incident. The same night, six protesters were arrested in Portland, where another ICE attack took place.
Elected officials in Minnesota, where protests have been particularly heated, announced Saturday: 30 protesters He was arrested on Friday night for allegedly “damaging property” during the protests. In the city this morning, an Associated Press photographer observed two ICE agents armed with long guns approaching a protester who was following them and told him that was his “first and last warning” before taking off. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey And Governor Tim WalzBoth Democrats expressed their support for local law enforcement. But Local police union issues statement supporting ICE – a far cry from Democrats, including Frey, who said “fuck you” to ICE.
Police in Philadelphia did not stop or appear to make any arrests at either march on Saturday. Anna, a history teacher carrying a Philadelphia Federation of Teachers flag, showed up for the morning walk after her students brought up Good’s killing in class. (All but three of those who spoke to the Guardian on Saturday requested a pseudonym, citing the anxiety plaguing protesters following Good’s killing.)
“A lot of my students are black, and they’ve already experienced violence from the system and the police, and they see that and realize there’s another force out there,” he said.
An elderly woman named Ellen said she has been protesting ICE in Philadelphia for 15 years. Since the agency targeted local taxi drivers in an operation. “It has been years since they committed heinous acts against our friends and neighbors,” he said. “Now, in addition to harassing and detaining innocent immigrants, they are also killing Americans.”
Mary and Cara, two women who came to the Philadelphia protest together, were motivated by their dismay at what has happened at ICE since Trump took office last year. “I’m Jewish, I’ve been studying the Holocaust since the first day I can remember, and that’s how it happens,” Mary said. “As crazy things happen, we become more and more numb. I think it’s really easy to become complacent.”
Many of the protesters criticized the current economic situation for Americans, particularly how much American money is spent on immigration enforcement versus the basic needs of citizens. “Personally, I don’t think there’s any point in devoting money to immigration enforcement until we can feed and house every child,” Cara said.
This sentiment was echoed by Francesca, one of the speakers at the afternoon protest and a member of the DSA in Philadelphia as well as the DSA’s national political committee. “Things are piling up. It’s piling up. The genocide in Gaza and then the attack on Venezuela, the illegal kidnapping of Maduro,” he said. “And now this violence and actually state executions carried out by ICE – I mean, there’s not a whole lot that people can take away from that.”
They also noted that people are struggling to pay for rent, healthcare and rising food costs. “They may not come until the end of the month, but there is always money for the war,” Francesca said.
Organizers believe this impossible mismatch will continue to push people to protest. “As the American public sees exactly what this totalitarian dictatorship and regime is doing, we’re going to see more and more days like today or yesterday with thousands and thousands of people on the streets in the pouring rain,” Hinchey said.
